Few patients continue weight loss drugs like Wegovy after a year — but health costs soar for all
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A selection of injector pens for the Wegovy weight loss drug are shown in this photo illustration in Chicago, Illinois, March 31, 2023. Jim Vondruska | Reuters Only around one-third of patients prescribed weight loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk 's blockbuster injection Wegovy continued to take it a year later — but total health-care costs for the entire group soared, according to an analysis shared with CNBC on Tuesday. The annual health-care cost for patients before they started a weight loss medication was $12,371 on average, said the analysis from Prime Therapeutics , one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers in the U.S. That cost of care jumped by nearly 60% to $19,657 on average after patients started treatment, the analysis said. And a group of patients in the analysis who didn't take a weight loss drug saw their health-care costs decrease by 4% on average during the same time period. The analysis reviewed U.S. pharmacy and medical claims data for more...